


A Point Is All You Can Score

by AngeliqueH



Series: Try To Keep The Score [1]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stucky - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Artist Steve Rogers, Asthmatic Steve Rogers, Blindness, Chronic Illness, Disabled Character, M/M, POV Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Skinny!Steve, Visually Impaired Character, blind!bucky, comic book artist, mention of Bruce Banner - Freeform, minor Rebecca Barnes, minor Sam Wilson - Freeform, retinitis pigmentosa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 04:43:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10891938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngeliqueH/pseuds/AngeliqueH
Summary: Sadly, though, the man is completely ignoring Steve who actually dressed up pretty nicely today. Okay, it's not like he expected to meet the love of his life at the medical clinic, I mean, come on, who hopes for that?Steve Rogers might not be the most attractive guy on Earth but he sure gets noticed. Maybe he should think twice before speaking.





	A Point Is All You Can Score

"Hi, I called earlier, someone told me to come at 2 o’clock to see Dr. Banner. I'm Steve..."

"Rogers. Yes, I know." The mid-aged woman sitting at the reception desk looks over her reading glasses and stares at him. "It's the third time this month Mr. Rogers, I know who you are. Take a seat. Dr. Banner is running late today, expect to wait longer than usual."

Steve enters the waiting area, covering his mouth with his forearm. He tries to hold in his cough the best he can. This is how it goes every year: spring comes, his asthma and allergies get out of control. He coughs his lungs out until he ends up on oral prednisone which significantly increases his blood sugar level. He then readjusts his insulin, then tapers the cortisone, he wheezes and coughs… _and Repeat._

The Urgent Care Clinic room is full of people, all waiting for the doctor on duty. He spots one empty chair, between a small table covered with old magazines - _ugh, hunting and fishing? God! Why?_ \- and a handsome, broad-shouldered man with brown hair - _okay, forget I said anything_. He walks up to sit next to him. The man seems to be about his age, not that anyone would know, considering that Steve still looks like a scrawny teenager at 30 years old. A hand towel is wrapped around his left hand, and he seems lost in his thoughts. The guy barely tilts his head when Steve asks him if he can use the empty chair next to him. He makes a simple nod as an answer, not even looking at Steve.

 _Choose better next time, Rogers._  
_Hot Looking Guy Not Looking at Steve: 1 / Cute Enough Rogers:_ 0

Too bad, Steve thinks. He pushes his messenger bag under his chair, adjusts his dark framed glasses on his nose and sits. He's glad his asthma is only half as bad as it was last week which was already better than the way he sounded at the beginning of the month when he was dealing with his second bronchitis of the year.

Steve looks discreetly at the man sitting next to him: thick brown hair long enough to be tucked behind his ear, sharp jaw, clean-shaven with a cleft chin. He looks like the perfect comic book superhero and Steve takes mental notes for his upcoming project.

Sadly, though, the man is completely ignoring Steve who actually dressed up pretty nicely today. Okay, it's not like he expected to meet the love of his life at the medical clinic, I mean, come on, who hopes for that? - _'where d'you guys meet? - Just at the medical clinic. He was about to lose some fingers; I was about to die out of breath; y'know, felt in love at first sight. Forget nightclubs, medical clinics are the new thing...'_

Steve startles when Hot Looking Guy's phone buzzes. The man hisses as he taps gently on the screen with his injured hand before answering it.

"Hello? ...Hey, yourself! No Becca, no baby, don't worry..."

 _Shit._  
_Hot Looking Guy with a Girlfriend Named Becca: 2 / Steve Never mind: 0_

"... no no, just a little accident, those happen you know... No, you don't have to come over… Yeah, I know. No, don't call Ma just for that, stop being so overprotecting, I'm the big brother, I’m the one who looks after you ok?”

 _Correction:_  
_Hot Big Brother: 1 / Steve Maybe There is Hope: 0.5 (for the effort)_

"... no, I don't need a ride back to my apartment. Sam told me to call him when I’m done..."

_Sam? Shit._

"... yeah, I know, it wasn't a good idea to pick those up myself, but I didn't want to bother him… Nat was visiting... You know how those two don't get to see each other often... Look, I've got to go ok? Don't worry Bec. Thanks for checking on me. Bye."

Steve’s lungs betray him right at this moment, and he suddenly feels like someone is sitting on his chest. _Great timing, thanks._ He's sure the whole room heard him wheezing by now, and he starts coughing uncontrollably. He fishes his inhaler out of his pocket and takes two puffs. He closes his eyes and tries to catch his breath.

_One, two, three, one, two, two, two, three… shit. Breathe Steve, just fucking breathe._

“You okay pal ?" Hot looking guy tilts his head towards Steve. A weird expression appears on his face as he obviously listens to Steve's breathing making Steve even more self-conscious of the awful gasping and squeaking sounds that are coming out of his lungs.

_No, I’m just doing this to catch everyone’s attention…_

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," Steve manages to say.

Hot Looking Guy -  _Damn, he must have a name right?-_  snorts softly.

"You really sound like an athlete."

_Oh Mr. Too Hot to Look at Me is being sarcastic now._

"Actually, I just come here every now and then to meet new people," Steve says wryly.

Mr. Wisecrack shakes his head and huffs a little laugh at Steve’s reply, but doesn’t say anything else.

_Mr. Wisecrack: 1 / Mr. Ironic: 1_

Steve watches him for a minute, but the man won’t meet his eyes which is rather annoying. An awkward silence follows, and Steve looks away at the bland interior of the clinic as though it would give him a solution to deal with the situation. After a moment, Steve clears his throat and points at the man's injured hand with his head.

"Shouldn’t you go to the ER for a deep cut like that?"

The man’s eyes flash with uncertainty, but he doesn’t say anything. Steve sighs, rolls his eyes and turns his head the other way to look at the other people waiting in the room.

"Um, are you talking about my hand?” The man finally asks, unsure. “I don't think it's that bad. Dr. Banner is a friend of mine, he insisted on checking it himself." He bites on his lower lip while rubbing the palm of his injured hand with his right thumb gently. "Can't afford to lose sensitivity in those fingers." He burst his lips, lets out a slow breath and looks up at the ceiling, resting his head against the wall behind him. Steve catches a flash of his beautiful blue eyes before he closes them.

At this point, Steve has lost all hope to start a conversation with Mr. Whatever. He takes his notebook out of his bag and sets himself to work, sketching out the lady at the front desk. He focuses on how she frowned at him while looking over her cheap glasses. He giggles while drawing her ridiculous hair. _Okay, maybe it's not THAT bad._ Soon, the page turns into a comic strip of four panels starring the front desk lady turning into a giant monster. Steve chuckles looking at the final result.

Mr. Nevermind tilts his head to one side, eyes turned to Steve’s page.

"Drawing something funny?"

Steve stops and stares at the man, feeling slightly guilty.

_Please, please, please, don't say she's family._

The man finally seems to be willing to start a conversation and actually sounds curious. Well, at least he's smiling AND staring at Steve's sketch, it’s a good start.

"Here, take a closer look." Steve shows him his sketchbook, but no laugh comes from the guy.

_Shit, she must be family._

Unexpectedly, the man extends his right hand hesitantly and touches the page delicately with his fingers.

"I'm sorry, I can't really tell what it is."

 _C’mon man! I thought you were cool for a sec._  
_Mr. Jerkface: - 1 000 / Steve Comic Book Artist: crashing down in flames_

"That bad? Come on, it's... she's the... Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making fun of her. Such a lovely smiling lady..." Steve lets out a nervous laugh and starts coughing.

"No, I meant I don’t see well enough anymore to make out what it is." Wordlessly, he waves his hand in front of his unreactive eyes. He picks up the folded white cane tucked between his legs and the armrest to emphasize on his lack of sight. His lips turn into a straight line, and he goes back to staring at an invisible point in front of him."

"Oh, you're blind? Hah! Thank God!!"

The man's eyebrows widen in surprise, his mouth slightly opens in disbelief.

"What?” he asks, sharply.

Steve turns pale when he realizes what he just said.

"Oh My God, No! It's not what I meant! I'm so sorry that you're blind - _uh no-_ I mean, it’s not pity or anything - _I hate it when people do that._ I mean, oh fuck, it’s just that, see - _you're making it worse Rogers_ \- the thing is, I'm an artist and I illustrate comic books and..." Steve keeps apologizing profusely. He’s panting and wheezing when he notices laughter lines at the corners of the man’s eyes.

"Wait, why are you laughing?"

"You're just funny. Come on, it's ok, stop apologizing. You sound like you're about to die on me. Please, stop or your brain will suffer from a lack of oxygen and that would ruin my day."

"Uh… It would kinda ruin mine too."

They both try to keep a straight face at Steve’s stupid answer but burst into laughter.

"How did you know I was drawing, anyway?" Steve finally inquires.

"Just a wild guess."

"So, the thing about blind people developing a sixth sense is real?"

The man snorts and shakes his head. "I wished. I'm blind but not deaf. I could hear your pen on the paper. It just didn't sound like you were writing, it didn't have the same," he pauses, searching for the right word, "rhythm? Plus, I still have a bit of central vision left, it's shitty, but it's enough to get a vague idea of what's going on if I’m close enough."

"A vague idea?"

"A very vague idea. I actually thought you were a teenage girl when you walked over here."

"I - uh, what?” Steve’s face falls. “Ugh, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react..." Steve mentally tries to supply to all the sarcasm thrown at him with some acerbic comments but doesn’t come up with anything.

The guy starts laughing and it's probably the cutest sound Steve has ever heard from probably the cutest guy on earth. The way his nose scrunches up, the way his eyes squeeze tightly and that laugh, such a genuine laugh.

_Cute Jerk: 2 – Nice Punk: 2_

"Sorry, that was a bad joke.” He wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. “You still haven't told me what's on that page, what's so funny about it?" He asks with a renewed curiosity.

They spend the next hour chatting about comic books; turns out that James Barnes - _Bucky? What kind of nickname is that?_ \- was quite into comics before losing his sight. He eventually stopped reading them in his mid-twenties when his vision became too impaired by a genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa. To Steve's surprise, Bucky had heard about his 'outstanding work' from his roommate. Apparently, Sam actively supports the representation of minorities in the media, which Steve takes very seriously in his line of work.

The easy laughter that settles between them feels so natural, but Steve keeps looking anxiously at the clock on the wall as the waiting room clears itself progressively. Soon, it will be James' turn, and Steve keeps wishing he had the courage to ask him if they could meet again.

James' phone buzzes again. He taps twice on the screen to answers it.

"Hello? Hi, Sam... No, not yet but I'm pretty sure I'm next... Really? No, it's fine... no really, don't worry..." James lets out an exasperated breath. "Sam, we talked about it, I'm not invalid ok?"

Steve tries to ignore James' conversation but feels a twinge in his stomach when he hears that. He hates when people assumes of what he's capable of, judging him on his frail appearance or his health problems.

"... no, Sam, I don't need a Uber; it's only a few blocks… Manholes? Why do you suddenly care about... Oh, I see, I see... What? No, figuratively, you moron... Look, just go, enjoy your date with Nat, and we'll speak later, alright?"

A door opens, and a young woman dressed up in green scrubs walks up to Steve and James.

"James Barnes? I'm Dr. Cho. Dr. Banner is running late, so he asked me to clean up the cut and prep you, he said you might need stitches. Please, follow me."  
  
James gets up and unfolds his white cane. He turns to Steve with a shy smile, his eyes fixed in the direction of the pen Steve is fidgeting with.

"It was fun to meet you, Steve Rogers."

_It’s now or never Rogers…_

James waits a few seconds for Steve to talk, or just for a small hint of anything to reassure him and let him know that Steve enjoyed the time spent together. Unfortunately, Steve can’t bring up the courage to ask James to meet him again. James sighs at Steve’s silence, rolls his shoulders, and slumps slightly. Stalking away looking disappointed, James heads towards Doctor Cho's examination room.  
  
"Hey! James?" Steve gets up impulsively and takes a few steps to get closer. Bucky stops and turns to face him, looking pleased. _Wait, is that relief?_

"I'll still be here after, I'm probably next in line. If you want, I can... Uh... It's not... it's not like I was listening but, um…” _Yeah, of course, I was listening._

Steve knows he’s babbling and stops to take a breath. "If your ride can't pick you up, I can walk with you... I mean, if you want to?"

James’ smile flatters and frowns at Steve’s words.

"Please, don't do that. I have enough of my sister and roommate to baby me, I don’t need a stranger to treat me like…” But Steve cuts him off before he says the word invalid.

“You’re not the only who gets treated this way, ok? You’re taking my offer or not?” Steve covers his mouth just in time before he starts coughing again.

"I'm not a doctor, but you don't sound like you can walk four blocks."

James is glaring at him, his sightless eyes reminding Steve of a stormy sky. Even though Steve is fully aware that he’s probably nothing but a blur to James, he lifts his chin, squares his shoulders and holds his stare defiantly.

"Don't tell me what I can or can't do."

"Mr. Barnes, this way please." Dr. Cho insists.

James gives her a quick affirmative nod and turns back to Steve with a sad, empty stare. Steve hates himself right now; he never wanted to offend Bucky Barnes in the first place, and now, from where he’s standing, he can almost hear the gears shifting in the man’s head. Feeling deflated and prepared to be rejected, Steve is about to walk back to his chair when Bucky’s lips turn into a smirk.

"Ok, let’s do that..."

 _Sweet._  
_James Barnes: 2 / Steve Rogers: 3_

“… but you hold my arm, I’m leading.”

 _James Barnes ~~2~~ 10 / Steve Rogers: …_  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yay! Part 2 now posted! Thanks again for your comments and kudos. I hope you'll enjoy part 2 <3<3<3


End file.
